**Leaders Ask ‘How Can the Diving Industry and DEMA Thrive
in the Years Ahead?’**

Click images to enlarge

On April 24th and 25th, Diving Industry
leaders representing DEMA’s five stakeholder groups, the DEMA Board of
Directors, and the DEMA Staff met in San Diego, California for a Strategic
Learning Session. The two-day session, led by Jeff De Cagna, Chief Strategist
of Principled Innovation LLC,
was designed to use the knowledge of the Industry leaders present to address
significant concerns and ensure that both the Association and Industry thrive
in the future. Those in attendance
included:

Industry Stakeholders:

Don Rockwell, Aqua Lung

Sid Stovall, Ascuba Venture, Inc.

Mike Hollis, American Underwater Products

Tim Webb, Caradonna Dive Adventures

Dan Orr, Dan Orr Consulting

Mark Young, Dive Training Magazine

Dean Garraffa, Huish Outdoors

Denise Cable, Independent Consultant

Richard Mitsoda, Maduro Dive Fanta-Seas

Mike Lever, Nautilus Explorer

Drew Richardson, PADI Worldwide

Julie Andersen, Consultant, Scubapro

Doug McNeese, Scuba Schools International

Karin Sahm, Sunset House

DEMA Board Members:

Scott Daley, Body Glove International

Bonnie Borkin, Bonnier Corporation – Sport Diver and Scuba
Diving

William Cline, Cline Group Advertising, Inc.

Werner Kurn, Ocean Enterprises, Inc.

Jeff Nadler, PADI Americas

Jenny Collister, Reef & Rainforest Dive & Adventure
Travel

Tom Leaird, Scuba Educators/PDIC International

Stuart Cove, Stuart Cove's Dive Bahamas

Darcy Kieran, Total Diving-Montreal Scuba

Stephen Ashmore, TUSA

The group was challenged to address a variety of Industry
and Association issues and brainstorm the plausible future direction of the
Association, as well as how DEMA can have a positive impact on the Diving
Industry. Using the concept of flipping Industry “orthodoxies,” which may be hindering
the Association and Industry and preventing effective collaboration, the group
identified key problems and brainstormed ways to address these challenges. “Orthodoxies”
are beliefs or ways of thinking that are generally accepted as truth,
regardless of how accurate they may actually be.

Participants discussed many different beliefs and “truths,” and
four main orthodoxies emerged as highly influential on the progress of the
Association:

DEMA is just the Show and creates no other value for the
Industry

DEMA is an “old boys club”

DEMA is highly influenced by larger Members/stakeholders to
the detriment of other Industry participants and

The DEMA Board takes no risks on behalf of the Industry and cares
only about itself

These orthodoxies were discussed in detail along with the
group’s recommendations for how DEMA and the Industry can move forward together
to build trust and collaborate for Industry growth and success. “More important than identifying these
orthodoxies is the understanding that DEMA needs to make structural and other
changes that help build value for DEMA Members and Industry participants,” said
Tom Ingram, DEMA Executive Director. “By
identifying these orthodoxies, it becomes possible to overcome them when they
are not true and positively impact problems that do exist.”

DEMA employed a graphic recorder to capture the key ideas from
the learning sessions in a visual format.
Lucinda Levine of INKquiry
provided the group with real-time illustrations of the Strategy Session conversations. These graphics were aimed to help with participants’
comprehension and retention and make the information that was shared easily
accessible to the Industry.

In reality, the real work of the DEMA Board and the Industry
begins now. With the goal of helping to
improve the Industry through collaboration and trust-building, DEMA looks
forward to the opportunity to be of benefit to all stakeholders and creating
pathways to help Members and the Industry be successful and grow. Incorporating strategic recommendations from
De Cagna, as well as from members of the Industry, will be an ongoing job for
the DEMA Board and staff. The DEMA Board
of Directors will meet in June to further discuss the topics raised during the
Strategy Session as well as the recommendations provided by the strategy
consultant, De Cagna.

If you have any questions about the strategy session please
contact us at info@dema.org.